A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Although we have yet to receive any correspondence from Stevenage, we have seen their statement.

“We note they do not deny any of the allegations made and we would welcome contact from them when they have concluded their investigation.

“We were very surprised to see they claim not to have been made aware of the issues on the day, as they were tweeted by several supporters during the match (these tweets remain in the public domain) and issues were raised directly with numerous stewards and Hertfordshire Police.

“We also note the contents of the statement made by Grimsby Town which contradicts the account given by Stevenage FC.

“We hope such a family-orientated club will treat these allegations with the seriousness they deserve and we look forward to hearing from them once their investigations have been completed.”

The club went on to say this included intelligence that “prohibited items were likely to try to be brought into the grounds and could be passed on to those deemed less likely to be searched, such as women and younger supporters”.